Phillips contemplates changes after 0-2 start

IRVING – One day after he admitted his error-prone team is at the “crossroads” heading into Sunday’s game at 2-0 Houston, Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he is contemplating changing “several different things” while also admitting that the train-wreck start is taking a toll on him physically.

The “people” Phillips snapped at included reporters. When one asked about the 18 penalties Dallas has committed – the sixth most in the league – Phillips replied tersely, “I don’t like your line of questioning.”

It probably didn’t help matters that he was asked whether he thinks his job could be at stake.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with that,” Phillips said. “It’s my own pride in myself and working at what I do and trying to do better if it isn’t working out.”

Much of his news conference centered on cornerback Terence Newman saying that the coaches “don’t really know some of the things that were going on” in practice last week.

Phillips acknowledged that the club had “a bad practice” Friday “especially on defense” and that he called them out on it.

“It was guys making mistakes on simple things…some of the things you do over and over and over and have been doing since (offseason workouts),” Phillips said.

Phillips was asked if the players need to focus more in practice.

“Focus is part of practice,” he said. “The will to prepare is just as important as the will to win.”

Replays suggested that veteran linebacker Keith Brooking might have been at fault for Bears tight end Greg Olsen’s 39-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. Other veterans also had tough games, including right tackle Marc Colombo (two false start penalties).

Phillips scoffed at the notion that a lack of discipline is at the root of the team’s problems. He also made it clear that he has no plans to call players out in public or yell at them in private.

“I’m not going to change,” he said. “I’m not going to be the guy that hollers. I don’t believe in all that. I don’t believe you’ve got to holler at people all the time to get them to do something. If you holler at me, I might not do it at all. It’s just philosophy-wise and personality-wise. They know when I’m unhappy. I think they knew I was unhappy today.”